A few things to gush about…

My birthday is January 1st and most people know I hate winter, so turning older in the middle of winter usually equals me feeling like I need to slather my whole body in wrinkle cream and self tanner. Usually I do neither, too lazy I guess! But I am always looking for the miracle cure for several of my ailments. I have this little squint line between my eyes from playing and watching soccer in the sun. I think I’ve tried every miracle wrinkle cream out there to no avail. I’ve tried blurring it, filling it and retin a-ing it. I’ve also tried the brighteners, not really sure what bright skin should look like but I guess in the dead of winter I am looking for some sunshine to beam out of my face, at least that way you won’t see my little squint line! I can’t really complain this winter because it was 76 degrees yesterday, hardly winter. There are a few things that I’ve tried and loved and here is the short list. What about you – any miracles you’d like to share?!
1. Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder – I hate gray hair!! So annoying to have to constantly color your hair. If your hair is dark like mine it is even more annoying because the gray is so obvious. I’ve tried lots of different things to get another week out of a dye job. Nothing worked great until I bought Bumble and Bumble hair powder. Other powders leave a white residue, this does not and it covers the gray really well. It is messy and over sprays so make sure you are not in a white shirt. I put a length of yarn on my part and spray my roots. If you don’t put something on your part you end up with a brown scalp. It lasts until the next wash. Genius! 2. Sally Hansen Gel Nail Kit – For Christmas this year I got this kit. It takes a little more effort than just polishing your nails because you must put each nail in the dryer for 30 seconds to set the gel. Once the 30 seconds are up, your nails are totally dry and the polish will not budge or chip and stays really shiny. I did my nails for the first time 15 days ago. There is not one chip, smudge or dullness! I am going to change polish this weekend only because you can see the growth. Taking off the polish is a little bit more work, you have to let it sit for 5 minutes with polish remover before fully removing. This is a great solution for vacations or anytime! 3. Chi 1″ Flat Iron – I have fluffy, frizzy hair. I wish it was nice curls, sometimes it looks good curly, like at the beach but most times it is just fluffy and messy looking. So during the week I straighten my hair. In the past, I used whatever $30 straightener I could find at the drugstore and then I got a Chi Flat Iron. Wow! What a difference. It’s fast, super hot (410 degrees) and gets my hair perfectly straight. I love it!4. Dry Oil Spray – Winter makes my skin super dry and itchy. So I always try to have a spray oil in the shower. When I am done drying off I give my whole body a spritz and no more dry, itchy skin. The dry oils are great because it sprays a fine mist and it is not super oily like baby oil. It drys quickly and your skin feels great. I’ve tried the new spray moisturizers and did not find them that moisturizing and the bottle does not last long. These little bottles of spray oil last forever.5. L’Oreal Paris Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara – I am not a huge make-up wearer and I hate wearing mascara even more. I don’t like the black smudges during the day and I hate the black eyes after washing my face in the shower. I found this mascara (a couple of years ago) that comes off in the shower so easy, it’s awesome! It makes a tube of mascara around your lash and when you wash your face they just rinse right off. It looks like there are a bunch of spiders coming off your face but it leaves no black eyes which is a miracle product to me! I still don’t use mascara every day but when I do, I only use this one.So there you have it, my 5 can’t live without products. If you have a “can’t live without” product let me know, especially if it gets rid of squint lines!